Chelsea Handler was taking one of the most talked-about drugs of the moment and she didn't even realize it. Social media can't seem to stop talking about Ozempic, a drug originally prescribed to patients with diabetes but that is now being used off-label for weight loss. The prescription injection is said to be particularly popular with Hollywood celebrities, with blind item blogs throwing around names of stars who are supposedly taking it to slim down. And while some famous names have come out to say that they aren't using the drug, Handler just did quite the opposite.
In a new interview with the podcast Call Her Daddy, 47-year-old Handler became the rare star who admitted that she has used Ozempic, opening up about the doctor who gave it to her and how it made her feel. Read on to find out more.
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Ozempic's popularity has caused a shortage.
myskin / ShutterstockOzempic and other drugs like it are commonly prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes. According to NBC News, it mimics a hormone in the body that regulates insulin. For those with diabetes, this can help them avoid blood sugar spikes. Now that people who don't have diabetes are using Ozempic off-label, there is a shortage for those who actually need it to maintain their health.
Ozempic is a brandname of the drug semaglutide. Semaglutide is also sold in a different dose as a weight-loss medication under the name Wegovy. The Wegovy website notes that it is for adults "with obesity" or who are "overweight" and "who also have weight-related medical problems."
Handler said her doctor "hands it out to anybody."
Kathy Hutchins / ShutterstockOn Call Her Daddy, Handler explained, "My doctor—my anti-aging doctor—just hands it out to anybody, right? Obviously, now I can’t say her name. I didn’t even know I was on it."
The comedian said that the doctor told her, "If you ever want to drop five pounds, this is good."
She took the medication without realizing what it was.
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock"I came back from a vacation, and I injected myself with it," Handler continued. "And I went to lunch with a girlfriend a few days later, and she’s like, 'I’m not really eating anything. I’m so nauseous, I’m on Ozempic.'"
Handler said she realized she was nauseous as well. "And then I'm like, 'But I'm not on Ozempic.'" she continued. Her friend asked whether she was sure about that, and Handler told her she was on semaglutide. "She goes, 'That's Ozempic,'" the comedian recalled.
She stopped taking it.
Featureflash Photo Agency / ShutterstockHandler stopped using Ozempic after realizing what it was.
"I’m not on it anymore," she said. "I stopped taking it. That's too irresponsible. I’m an irresponsible drug user, but I’m not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I’m not gonna do that … That’s not for me. That's not right for me."
Handler also joked in the interview that she's basically a doctor herself because she's helped friends of hers use the drug. "I’ve injected about four of five of my friends with Ozempic, 'cause I realized I didn't want to use it 'cause it's silly," the star said. She also called the drug "too good to be true."
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She joked about the celebrity obsession with Ozempic at a recent event.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice AssociationThe Call Her Daddy podcast wasn't the first time Handler talked about Ozempic. When she hosted the Critics' Choice Awards on Jan. 15, she joked about the drug while talking about the TV series Gaslit in her opening monologue.
"Gaslighting is when someone tries to convince you that your own perceptions of reality are wrong," Handler said. "Like when celebrities say they lost weight by drinking water, but really it's because everyone's on Ozempic." She added, "Even my housekeeper’s on Ozempic."
